My humorous interpretation of the three most prolific bigwallers on the internet.

Mark Hudon: I'm old and I don't want to have to do any work...but if I have to I'll bring Cheyne for the hard work.

Chris Mac: If it weights over an once it's too heavy.

Pete Zabrok: Aid Climbing eh?

Just wanted to say THANK YOU guys so much for all the amazing information, guides, trip reports, and wisdom that you guys share with the rest of the climbing community. Truly an inspiration to anyone looking to get onto some big walls.

If anyone has any questions on systems or aid climbing or any of that stuff, and doesn't feel like putting it out on the forum, or wants to get [hopefully] constructive one on one feedback, please feel free to email me directly. I'm usually pretty quick at getting back, eh?

Some awesome information put out by all of these. I especially liked the info "Dr. Piton" posted on Rockclimbing.com, stuff Mark H. posted ragarding hauling, and all of Chris' videos were GREAT for getting started wall climbing. I am more of a visual learner, so seeing it being demonstrated is really good. Thanks guys.

PS a question for you gurus: I heard there is a better way to fix haul bags to the anchor instead of a daisy/sling. Piton calls it a "Docking Tether" and said to use 'Munter Mule'. Do you basically attach one end of a cord with a figure 8 to a locker your haul bag is attached to, and use a munter hitch to adjust where to connect your bag to the anchor, than tie it off with a 'mule knot?' Than use the remainder of the rope for lower outs? Do you guys have a photo of this set up? 25 ft of 7mm cord would be good?

PSS: would love to see pictures of hand placed sawed off angles too. Anyone has some? Want to get on the Shield this year!!!!!!

MEN, BURT BRONSON HERE. I HAVE RETURNED FROM ANOTHER EPIC, YET SUCCESSFUL STAY IN BAFFIN. OUR TEAM (CONSISTING OF ONLY ME) COMPLETED 17 NEW ROUTES. THE HARDEST, "WHY WOMEN SHOULD STAY AT HOME", WAS COMPLETED OVER 84 DAYS. THIS IS, SO FAR, THE BOLDEST ROUTE YET DONE ON THE ISLAND. AT 5.14C, A5++, PDH, WI 13, M14+, GRADE IX, V14, B3, SIT START, THIS ROUTE WAS DONE GROUND UP WITH NO HOLES DRILLED ON THE ASCENT. THE ROUTE WAS ESTABLISHED IN PURE ALPINE STYLE WITH ME STAYING ON THE WALL FOR THE ENTIRE 84 DAYS. I LOST 77 POUNDS ON THE WALL. THE LINE CONSISTS OF 114 PITCHES AND GOES UP A NEWLY DISCOVERED WALL THAT ONLY I HAVE SEEN. ACCORDING TO MY MEASUREMENTS, THE WALL IS THE TALLEST AND MOST OVERHANGING WALL IN THE WORLD. AT 17,000 SHEER VERTICAL FEET AND OVERHANGING 9,000 FEET, IT IS SURE TO NEVER HAVE A REPEAT - ESPECIALLY BY A WOMAN. THIS ROUTE EPITOMIZES THE HARD MAN CLIMBING EXPERIENCE.

PLEASE, GET ME CAUGHT UP ON THE LASTEST GOINGS ON HERE IN THE STATES AND IN THE VALLEY PROPER. WORD HAS IT THAT NOT MUCH HAS HAPPENED, WHICH IS SAD, IN THE TIME I HAVE BEEN GONE. A SOMEWHAT NOTABLE ASCENT BY THE GERMAN BROTHERS WAS DONE ON THE ZODIAC (WHATEVER), I HEARD SOME GIRL CLIMBED EL CAP FREE (SURE SHE DID....), DEAN POTTER ROYALLY F'ED UP AND LOST BOTH HANDS (STICK TO THE SLACK LINE, SLACKER), ANOTHER CHICK CLIMBED 5.14D (SURE SHE DID......) AND CHRIS SHARMA WAS BUSTED FOR WEED (NICE). SOUNDS LIKE I DIDN'T MISS MUCH.

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I AM THE LAST BASTION OF THE HARD MAN. MY GOAL IS TWO FOLD - TO CONTINUE IN THE TRADITION OF THE MANY HARD MEN WHO LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR CLIMBING AND TO ENSURE THAT THESE TRADTIONS ARE NOT OVER RUN BY THE GIRLY MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE TRYING HARD TO DEGRADE OUR SPORT WITH THE USE OF BOLTS, 70 METER ROPES, GRIGRIS, RUBBER SOLED SHOES, CHALK, AND QUICKS-DRAWS. IT IS ALSO EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT THE MAN SPORT OF CLIMBING STAYS JUST THAT - A MAN SPORT - AND THAT WOMEN STAY AT HOME, IN THE SERVICE OF THE MAN.

Vitaliy - yes, you want to attach your pigs to the anchor with some type of cord that you can untie, rather than clipping it in with a carabiner which would force you to have to lift your pig in order to release it. Back in the day, you always saw guys making "mini hauls" just to unclip their damn pigs!

In an ideal big wall world where you have a partner and all pitches are plumb, clipping your pig in is not a big deal. Your partner lifts the pig, you unclip it, and away you go. But what if you are soloing? What if the pitch diagonals and when your partner pulls the haul line tight, it doesn't lift your pig in the right direction to unclip it?

What if you have a really big porker and non-existent biceps like me?! You might never be able to lift it.

I use a docking tether, which is a dedicated hunk of 7mm cord with a total length of about 15', doubled with a loop in the middle, so doubled in length it's about seven feet long. The loop goes through a Mexican locker which is rigged on the main suspension point locker of the pig. I add this extra Mexican locker because the swivel and other things can catch on the loop of the docking tether, and abrade it. The docking tether remains in place for the entire wall, dedicated to this purpose.

To dock the pigs to the anchor, I take the doubled cord and pass it through the carabiner to which it will be docked in a doubled munter hitch, then I take the two ends of the docking tether cord and twist them around each other about three times, then tie off the two ends with a bunch of square knots. You want to tie the munter, twists and square knots fairly tight so that when you release the tension in the haul line, the pig doesn't drop too far as the docking tether knots all tighten up under tension.

To dock your pigs, you could use a single hunk of cord, you could use your haul line, you could use a dedicated lower out line, whatever works best for you. I prefer the dedicated docking tether. The point is, it's tied to the anchor, not clipped.

When it's time to haul, I attach the pig to the haul line, and I attach it right at that point with an alpine butterfly. So if the pitch is 150' long and I have a 215' haul line, then I have 65' of spare haul line left over. Then I can use this excess haul line as a lower-out line. Get it?

Note: Be careful with this technique if it is windy and there are flakes! 65' of hanging haul line has the potential to come to grief. If it is windy and there are flakes, consider a separate lower out line, doubled, that you can retrieve and take up with you as you clean.

When docking, it's a good idea to back up this docking tether with a sling. I actually use an adjustable daisy, but here's the thing - make sure that you attach the docking tether in such a way so that you are pretty much obligated to unclip the adjustable daisy BEFORE you untie the docking tether! Otherwise if you forget, you will end up with your pig hanging on the adjustable daisy, and then you are sunk having defeated the purpose. I will usually take a tail of my docking tether and tie it through the adjustable daisy crab, just to make me remember to unclip it first.

Mark Hudon probably has some nice videos of this stuff someplace, or photos. Lots of stuff written on it, for sure.